If you haven’t heard of m3gan yet, please let me introduce you to her. Megan does The Cranberries and Aha justice in these beautiful piano covers with some stunning renditions. Thank you for allowing some of us to reminisce about our childhoods. I remember the days of all these songs, and I was a big fan of them. It is an enormous pleasure, an honour and a privilege to review m3gan’s music here on Krannaken.com.
Who is m3gan?
Megan is an up-and-coming superstar who specializes in new-age and popular music. There is a tonne of inspiration from The Cranberries in m3gan’s work, but there are other acts too. I hear a plethora of sounds from the likes of U2 and Simple Minds. m3gan also takes inspiration from 80s Norwegian famous music legends, Aha.
In this post, I will attempt to do as much justice to m3gan’s music as she does to the aforementioned acts. I will look at each track and show you why it is so unique, why you should listen, and why you need to add Megan to your list of artists on Spotify.
How Does m3gan Market Her Music?
m3gan has found some significant success already in her career. As you will see in the screenshot, she currently (at the time of writing) has more than 23K monthly listeners. That is a fantastic achievement and something she can be proud of.
Megan’s growth has come mainly from playlists, and she was recently added to one of the most powerful independent playlists on Spotify, with over 450k listeners. This particular playlist is ranked 4th on Birdy’s discovered on >> Megan also surpassed 2000 playlists added to, and we estimate her monthly followers to be around 50k at the end of February 2023.
Dreams
The first (and the most listened to) of m3gan’s cover songs is Dreams. Those old enough to remember will know Dreams as coming from the incredible Irish band, The Cranberries. The cover of Dreams that m3gan has written has over 161,000 streams at the time of writing — a fantastic achievement. How did she get here?
I believe the answer lies in Megan’s talent as an arranger, but one certainly not deny her talent on the piano. This is one of her most significant selling points. Her singing is also perfect for the type of song she is creating. Enya is one name that comes to mind when I describe Megan’s singing prowess.
Take On Me
Take On Me was originally by the Norwegian supergroup, Aha. This is one of my favourite songs of the 1980s. It takes me back to my childhood days, and I am thrilled that m3gan keeps the memories alive. Megan’s interpretation and arrangement skills here are fantastic.
Megan’s version of Take On Me is much more relaxed and dreamy than the original song. Her piano playing is exquisite, and I love how she has interpreted it. I am sure Morton Harkett and co would love this interpretation too.
For me, the way it starts immediately with the words and finishes abruptly with other words makes this version different. If it is compared with the original, it serves a different purpose. I believe the original was more energetic and had a sharper rhythm. However, this version is more laid-back and relaxed. I think it is aimed at people who remember the original and can compare the two versions in their minds.
Linger
Linger is another cover from the Irish band, The Cranberries. In this cover, m3gan has made a wall of sound. There are strings, percussion and her voice. Again, it is an excellent song. However, I believe improvements can be made. The timing seems a little off, and the drums come in and out too much. It would be better if the drums were more consistent and if it found more of a consistent drum pattern. The strings also give an impression of being slow and steady, while the drums want to break out from that tempo and do their own thing.
On the plus side, Megan has a beautiful voice. Maybe the song would work better if the drums weren’t apparent at all, but only the voice and strings.
I am not saying the song is bad. I know that matching percussion with music can be challenging at times. This is my own experience, and I have made something before that I thought the same thing about. However, I know that m3gan has put a lot of effort into this track and for that reason, it is still worth publishing.
Temptation
Temptation is another wall-of-sound song with a tremendous amount of reverb. The music by m3gan gives it the kind of atmosphere one would experience if it were being played live. The song sounds like it is taken from another 1980s song, but it has been heavily edited. It doesn’t have a tune, either. However, one great thing about it is that it is consistent. The tempo is spot-on, and it is an excellent piece of music.
m3gan’s version of Temptation doesn’t have any specific words to it. She does have vocal sounds, and she does use her voice. However, words do not appear anywhere in the song.
Zombie
Zombie is my favourite song by The Cranberries. It is simple to play on the guitar but sounds excellent. In m3gan’s version, she has switched up the guitar for her piano.
I love how she opens with the vocal version of the guitar line. This is one line that I love to play because it sounds so effective. It is beautiful to listen to, but I love how m3gan has harmonized the last note. It also sounds like she has a backing singer on that last note to harmonize with. This could be an additional layer of her own voice.
Zombie is a song about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder — a terrible condition experienced by people who have been through hell.
The percussion sample in the background also feels effective. I like how it is unpredictable yet fits into the song very well.
Where Can You Learn More About m3gan?
If you want to learn more about m3gan’s music, you are welcome to follow m3gan on Spotify. You are also welcome to connect with her on TikTok. Megan’s TikTok channel is one avenue she pays particular attention to because she is a filmmaking and digital art student. Therefore, please find her visual art on TikTok. I am sure you will enjoy the incredible talent that Megan has to offer.
Would you also like me to review your music on Krannaken.com too?
Originally published at https://krannaken.com on February 15, 2023.